Taize
by Sirusi
Summary: Taize has been a slave in Galbatorix's palace for most of her life. Somehow she escapes, only to realize that the fate of the last dragon egg in all of Alagaesia rests in her hands... T for language - I do love my swearing.
1. Cleaning

**Author's Note: **Hi people. This is my first attempt at fan fiction, so please review! I will try to update at least once every week.

**Disclaimer:** By the way, I unfortunately do not own anything remotely related to Inheritance Trilogy. Sadly, I also don't own an iPod. Yet. Mwahahahaha!

**NOTE:** If you're reading this before you read C'koro, just go to chapter 15. It might be a little bit confusing, but that's all you really need. Plus I just reread this and realized that the first fourteen chapters kind of suck... But if you feel like reading the whole thing, go ahead.

Chapter One  
Cleaning

"Up! Wake up, scum!"

Taize sighed, her eyes still closed. It was the start of just another hopeless day of her black life. She had been a slave in Galbatorix's palace for as long as she could remember. She had no friends or family left anymore. Her mother, Lia, had died when Taize was only five, when the slavers had come. For a few years, she had had a best friend, but Rhia had died two years ago, during the last great epidemic that had swept through Urû'baen.

She sighed again and pushed herself up onto her elbows in bed, if it could even be considered as such. She was on the top tier of a triple bunk with no mattresses or pillows, and she had only a thin blanket to ward off the chill when it grew cold at night.

She cursed loudly as her head collided with the ceiling when she sat up fully, then jumped down to the cold stone floor, ignoring a twinge of pain from her legs. A few days ago, she hadn't followed an order quickly enough, and had received yet another taste of the whip. The deep cuts had not yet fully healed, but Taize was so accustomed to discomfort of one form or another that she hardly took notice anymore, unless she had really gotten a beating. However, that only happened after she decided to take one of her infamous "days off," during which she stayed in bed all day and refused to listen to anyone. Despite the next day's haze of pain, it was always worth it to prove to herself that she still had a scrap of defiance left.

The slaves formed a line to be given their assignments for the day. Kin'naid was on duty, and Taize groaned inwardly. Kin'naid _hated_ her. She had no idea why he detested her so, but she loathed him back just the same. When Taize reached him, he grinned evilly.

"You'll be working in the kitchens today," he smirked, knowing full well that she utterly despised that job.

She scowled. A slave boy near her approached Taize tentatively. "I wouldn't mind working in the kitchens," he said wistfully, half to himself, "but Kin'naid always makes me clean."

For a moment, she was puzzled. Then she realized that the boy must want to switch jobs with her. "I don't even know your name!" she told him. "Why should I trade with you?" she asked, secretly hoping that he would persist and she would get out of kitchen duty.

Her wish was granted. He continued, "Oh. My name is Rhet. And we should trade because I hate cleaning and you hate working in the kitchens… I could tell by the way you scowled when Kin'naid told you," he added hastily, sounding quite nervous.

Despite herself, Taize was beginning to like this Rhet boy. "All right. Let's trade," she agreed. "Where do I go?"

"Just follow Ineb over there." Rhet pointed to an older man with a kind face and graying brown hair. "Once you get to the sleeping chambers, he'll show you where to go." He added, as an afterthought, "By the way, where should _I_ go?"

"To the kitchens," she replied, as though it was the most obvious thing in all of Alagaësia. More kindly, she continued, "Once you get there, someone will tell you what to do."

After exchanging a few more words, they parted ways. Taize followed Ineb as she had been instructed. She had seen Ineb around before, but she had never actually met him. As though he had read her thoughts, he beckoned her over to him.

"I've never seen you on cleaning detail before," he remarked casually.

"Me and Rhet traded," she replied simply.

To her surprise, he did not pursue the subject, but asked, "Aren't you that girl who's always refusing to do as she's told?"

"Why?" she answered his question with her own, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Incredulously, he replied, "In case you haven't noticed, you're practically famous among the slaves. Your 'days off' are legendary. Most of us wish we had the guts to be like you." Taize blushed as Ineb continued, "I myself might have tried something similar when I was younger, but I fear that I'm becoming to old for such things." He smiled wearily.

There was a lull in the conversation, so she asked, "What exactly do I have to do today? _Anything_ is better than kitchen duty."

"I'm sure Rhet doesn't think so," he answered. "You'll be expected to change the linens and send any clothes lying about to be washed. If you find any articles of clothing that look…out of place, it's often best to put them in with someone else's laundry."

She didn't quite understand Ineb's last remark until she found a corset in what was obviously a man's room. Actually, there had been two, one stuffed away under the bed. She found herself wondering, _How many mistresses can one noble_ have­?


	2. Stairs

**AN:** Hi again! I've decided to do an author's note for every chapter, no matter how incredibly random it may be. (You may have noticed that I'm random when you read my disclaimer last chapter.) Cherry pie!

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own anything. Sob.

Chapter Two  
Stairs

Later that night, Taize and Rhet met again.

"How could you hate your job?" Rhet asked Taize.

"How can you _like_ my job?" she asked back.

They gave each other skeptical glances, but once each realized that the other wasn't kidding, they agreed to continue the arrangement.

It worked quite well for a few weeks, until Kin'naid realized what they were doing, and began giving both Taize and Rhet kitchen duty. Of course Rhet didn't mind; he loved it, but for Taize it was torture.

She was on the point of taking a day off, but she could only afford to take one about every two months, and her birthday was fast approaching. She would be sixteen in three weeks, and she had been anticipating it for months.

_Why should I care, though?_ she wondered. _It's not as though I have anything to look forward to._ She did have a point. It wasn't like Galbatorix himself was going to come wish her a happy birthday. In fact, birthdays were the worst time of the year for her already rather fragile mental health. They only served as a reminder that she would be spending the rest of her life as a slave.

Birthdays made her hope that she would not have many more of them.

On the day before her birthday, as she toiled in the stiflingly hot kitchens, she began to think that it would be impossible for her life to get any worse. The only thing sustaining her was the fact that she was going to take a day off tomorrow.

Then Rhet approached her. "It's your birthday tomorrow," he said.

"Well, thanks for pointing out the obvious," responded Taize sarcastically. "Wait. How did you know that my birthday is tomorrow?"

But he refused to divulge his source, only murmuring, "I have my ways." Then he changed the subject somewhat by saying shyly, "I, uh, got you a present."

"Really? Rhet, you—" Taize stammered.

"—shouldn't have," he finished the sentence for her. "Well, too bad, I did it anyway."

She heaved a sigh in mock anger, but then curiosity overcame her. "Well, what is it?" she queried impatiently.

"I don't know…If you don't want it…"

"Of course I want it, you blubberheaded idiot!" she shouted, exasperated.

"Temper, temper," Rhet admonished her.

"Don't make me tackle you."

At this, he merely looked amused. "You? Tackle me? But you're just a gir—"

Taize didn't give him the opportunity to finish his word. She jumped on him and wrestled him to the ground, heedless of the people around them.

"Who's 'just a girl' _now_?" she hissed.

Rhet's face went pale, and he stood up quickly and ran away, leaving Taize standing there, utterly puzzled.

Then she felt herself being lifted from behind by her collar, or what was left of it.

"Aren't you supposed to be _working_?" Kin'naid's voice asked.

Taize made her way back to the slave quarters slowly, nursing the numerous cuts and bruises Kin'naid had given her. Next time she saw him, she resolved, he was going to suffer a great deal of pain.

She came to the top of the stairway leading to the room where she had slept for the past eleven years. The stairs were steep and narrow, and there was no banister to hold on to. Taize had to focus all of her attention on getting down safely.

So it was no wonder that she didn't hear Kin'naid approaching behind her until he cleared his throat. She jumped and turned around, then demanded angrily, "Why are _you_ here?"

He smiled smugly at her, and she glared back. She hadn't expected to be able to fulfill the promise she had made to herself so soon, but she wasn't about to pass up such a golden opportunity. She kicked him between the legs, and he doubled over in pain.

Taize grinned evilly, knowing that the next day she was going to be in very deep trouble.

Suddenly, Kin'naid's hand shot out and she was being pinned to the wall by her neck, gasping for air.

"That was a very foolish thing to do." His voice had a quality like icy steel.

"Let me go," she whispered with her last breath.

Amazingly, he did as she'd asked, and she sucked in air greedily, massaging her windpipe. She turned to continue heading down the stairs.

And then Kin'naid pushed her.

She had a vague sensation of tumbling, over and over and over again. Later, she would remember thinking, _Maybe on the stairs wasn't the best place to confront him._ Suddenly, she stopped. She was lying on the cold floor, and slaves were crowding around her, looking down. The last thing she heard before she passed out was someone saying, "Move! Get out of the way! Taize! Taize…"


	3. Memories

**AN: **Keep R&R-ing! By the way, this chapter takes place while Taize is unconscious.

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own anything. At all. Like an iPod. (glares mutinously at mom)

Chapter Three  
Memories

"_Taize," her mother was saying, "come inside. It's time for dinner…"_

_Then Lia was teaching her how to shoot an arrow. Taize was barely five years old, so she wasn't using real arrows, but her aim was uncannily good…_

_She was four years old, she had asked why she didn't have a father._

"_You have never had one," Lia had replied. "He left long before you were born…"_

_And then the marauders had come. She had been so young at the time, she had been left with only vague impressions of light and sound. But now everything was clear again, as though she was reliving the experience…_

_Everything was on fire. Taize's own house was burning behind her. People were screaming. She ran crying, trying desperately to find her mother._

_She had finally located Lia, but she was covered in terrible burns and would surely die soon. She gave Taize her necklace, made her promise to protect it. Taize had sworn that she would…_

_Then she had run, run for days as though her life depended on it – and although her life didn't her freedom did._

_She had escaped, but she hadn't planned on fleeing from their oasis and into the Hadarac, so she hadn't thought to get any food or water._

_The slavers found her a few days later, half-starved and dying of thirst, but if she had known what her life would be like as a slave, she would have run right back into the desert at the first opportunity._

_Despite the fact that she was only five years old, and obviously wasn't much of a threat to them, the slavers had put Taize in chains anyway, and taken her mother's necklace. These were the first events that had fueled her defiance. She'd struggled against the chains, but that had just made them laugh._

_Which, of course, only strengthened her resolve. She burned with hatred for her captors, except for one. He was the only one who hadn't laughed, and the only one who would show her any kindness on the long trip to Urû'baen. She later learned that his name was Keb._

"_Where are _we_ going?" she had asked him, as naïve as ever._

"_To the capital, Urû'baen."_

_And so they had. She had stepped onto the wooden platform, heard the auctioneer proclaiming, "A healthy young girl…" but unlike the slaves before her, she was unafraid, and glared defiantly into the crowd._

_That day she had promised herself that she would never lose that defiance, and it had probably kept her sane for the past eleven years._


	4. Birthday

**AN: **I love Murtagh. He was the only good thing about the Eragon movie. Everything else sucked. Well, okay, the acting was good, but whoever wrote the script completely destroyed the plot. Sorry. Random. I should probably let you read this chapter now...But I have something else to add. I have been looking over my plot outline, and I have just realized that this is gonna be a LOOONG story. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed! I hope you'll keep reading. :-)

**Disclaimer:** STILL don't own anything, please don't sue me.

Chapter Four  
Birthday

She opened her eyes slowly, intensely aware of her aching head. Her vision was slightly blurred at first, but then Rhet came into focus. For a few moments, she couldn't recall what had happened, or why Rhet would be standing over her. Then she remembered the fall.

Rhet noticed that Taize's eyes were open. He looked immensely relieved. "Good, you're up," he said. "Ineb was working on you all night. He used to be a healer," he added in explanation. "Obviously he didn't have access to a lot of the things he used to be able to use, but at least he knew how to stop you from going into shock, and how to make a splint."

"Splint," she repeated slowly, uncomprehendingly. Her brow furrowed. "Why would I need a splint?"

"When you fell…" Rhet began, but Taize looked down at her legs before the could finish.

Her entire right leg was encased in a splint. "What happened to my _leg_?!" she screeched.

Rhet took a step back, as though he was afraid she would bite him if he gave the wrong answer. "You broke it," he responded timidly.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes again. When she opened them, Rhet thought he saw a slight trace of fear.

"What if…What if they decide I'm not worth the time off, Rhet? What if they decide that…it's better if I'm dead?" By now there was a subtle edge of panic in her voice.

"They wouldn't," he assured her. "You've already been here for eleven years, and you have a lot longer left to live."

"Unfortunately," she grimaced. "And anyway, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly Alagaësia's best slave. I refuse to follow orders, I take days off—"

"Taize, you wouldn't _let_ them kill you. You'd kill yourself first. Never mind that, you'll probably kill yourself anyway," he said matter-of-factly.

"Probably," she agreed cheerily. Then she became serious. "No. I wouldn't, Rhet. Not as long as you're here." Their friendship had evolved in the last weeks, and they were now extremely close. She gave him a rare smile, but he looked troubled.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, now worried herself.

"I'll…tell you tomorrow," he evaded the question.

"You'll tell me _now_." There was venom in her voice.

Rhet heard the dangerous tone, and he knew that she probably wouldn't hesitate to attack him, even with her broken leg, if he refused to reply.

"_Well_?" she prompted impatiently.

"All right, all right," he placated her. "I didn't want to ruin your birthday—"

"Wait," she interrupted, secretly hoping to put off any bad news herself. "Yesterday you said you had a present for me. What was it?"

"Pres—? Oh, yeah! I got it this morning."

"But you said you had it yesterday!"

"I did say that, didn't I? Well, I lied."

"So you _have_ been learning something from me," she smiled. Then she sighed, exasperated. "Just give it to me!"

"Don't have a cow." He took something out of a pocket. It was an ordinary waterskin.

"Water? You got me water."

"Look inside."

She did so, and saw white liquid. "What is it?" she asked.

"You don't know?" he replied, dismayed.

"Rhet. I lived in the Hadarac Desert. We were lucky to be able to get water."

He blushed a little, but said determinedly, "It's called milk. It tasted really good," he added hopefully. "Just try it."

She looked at him skeptically, but she doubted it was harmful if Rhet had given it to her. Taize took a drink. Her eyes widened with pleasant surprise as the creamy white liquid made its way down her throat. "It _is_ good. How did you get it?" Seeing his guilty face, she quickly said, "Never mind. I don't want to know. But…thank you. This is the first time I've gotten a birthday present in eleven years." She smiled again. Despite her broken leg, despite her not completely groundless fears of an early death, she was happier than she had been in a long time.

"Now," she asked, "what was it that you were going to tell me?"


	5. Sold

**AN: **Okay, please don't set your dragons on me (or an angry pack of urgals, that would be bad, too)! I know it's been awhile since I updated. Sorry!!! School has started with a vengeance, and homework...shudder. Sorry it's so short as well, but I also have the next chapter or two up. By the way, how have you people been pronouncing Taize's name? I have received some very interesting answers from my friends...Anyway, the correct way to say it is "TY-zuh." So say it that way or I'll be setting MY dragon on YOU. That is, I would if I had a dragon. :-(

Chapter Five  
Sold

"Now, what was it that you were going to tell me?"

"I…It should wait until morning."

"Don't make me hurt you," Taize threatened.

Rhet sighed. He had no doubt that she would make good on that threat. "I…Can't it please wait until morning?" he asked hopefully, but at the same time almost desperately. "Please?"

"NO." Taize held up a fist. "I _will_ punch you in the face if you don't start talking, so I suggest that you do so."

She looked extremely pissed off, so Rhet began to speak. "I'm going to be leaving here soon, maybe as early as tomorrow morning," he said miserably.

"Are you free?" she inquired interestedly.

"No," he answered, looking even more miserable. "I've been sold."

"What? No. That- that- that can't be," she stuttered.

"Why?" he laughed bitterly. "Because you actually see me as a human being? Because to you, I'm not just a- a _thing_, to be bought and sold?"

"Well, yes," she answered, much more quietly than she usually would have. "But also because...I'll miss you," she said simply.

Over the past weeks, they had become close friends. Taize could already feel loneliness eating at her insides, but she reminded herself that Rhet wasn't gone yet.

There was a long but not unfriendly silence between them. Taize was the one who, at long last, broke it.

"Who were you sold to? Do they live in Urû'baen?" Taize had never been allowed out of the palace since the day she'd arrived, but if there was a chance, however slim, of being able to meet with Rhet—

"No," he said, the simple word shattering any hopes she might have had. "I don't know who bought me. All I know is…they live in Dras-Leona."

In that moment, both of them had looks of such utter despair on their faces that anyone seeing them might have thought that they were Riders who had just lost their dragons.

"If we're never going to see each other again…" Taize said bleakly, "Tell me…about your past, and I'll tell you mine."

It may seem an odd request, but by some unspoken agreement, slaves rarely discussed how they had been captured or what their life was like before, except to their closest friends.

They stayed up all night, telling each other their life histories. Taize told Rhet about her life in the desert and the night the slavers had come, her flight into the Hadarac, and finally, her capture.

Then Rhet began his story.

**Disclaimer: **Oh, yeah. By the way, please don't sue me for not being Christopher Paolini.

**AN:** By the way, that whole "close friends" bit...They are NOT in love, just friends. I suck at writing romance anyway. But whenever T makes a friend, it's a remarkable event. Being orphaned and sold as a slave at age five tends to give one some antisocial tendencies...


	6. Rhet

**AN:** I don't think that Rhet's past is even that important to the story line. I just find it interesting. Don't worry, the next chapter will actually move the plot along. Unless I decide to be evil...

**Disclaimer:** Don't own anything, even though I wish I did.

Chapter Six  
Rhet

"My family and I used to live in Narda. It's on the western coast of Alagaësia, to the north. Ironically enough, we were heading for Surda to be _free_ of the king's rule when we were captured. Going through a part of the Hadarac was the quickest route.

"The slavers came out of nowhere. They saw my father reach for his sword— They shot him. The arrow hit him right in the heart, so at least he didn't suffer.

"My mother— She said she'd rather die than be a slave, and she grabbed my father's sword. She killed two of them before they even knew what was happening." Rhet smiled proudly, then became serious again. "They killed her, too. But she fought them," he said defiantly. "You should have seen the scratches they had the next day." He smiled bitterly.

"And then I was brought to Urû'baen. From there, you pretty much know my story," he concluded.

There was nothing left to do after that but to catch an hour or two of sleep. Rhet had a bottom bunk, so it had only made sense for them to switch beds until Taize's leg healed.

At first when Rhet lay down next to her, she thought that he had forgotten their arrangement. She was about to hiss at him the fact that he was a blubberheaded idiot when he put his arms around her. Even though it was dark, she could see his sad smile, and she hugged him back.

That was how she fell asleep, clinging to Rhet as though he was a living teddy bear. It was such a pleasant feeling, a protected feeling, as though nothing could ever hurt them as long as they were together, and despite herself, Taize fell asleep feeling hopeful.

When she awoke the next morning, he was gone, and she was sure that it was for good. Dras-Leona…She felt tears welling at the edges of her vision.

Taize wondered what was wrong with her. She never cried. She hadn't since she was five. She hadn't cried when her mother died, nor when she had been captured, not even when Rhia had died. Even previously when she had been feeling particularly hopeless, she had just felt numb.

But now she couldn't stop crying. Losing Rhet had unlocked something within her that had been sealed eleven years ago when she'd come across her mother dying in the street.

And so she cried for what felt like days, for Lia, for the fact that she would die a slave, for Rhia, for hopelessness. Mostly, though, she cried for Rhet, knowing that soon he would be in a place even worse than where she was now.

She had considered suicide many times before, but then there had always been a spark of hope that had stopped her from killing herself. Now, though, what was the point? There was nothing left to look forward to. Maybe some people would have been happy to be able to remove the splint she was still stuck in, but for her it would just mean a return to the usual drudgery of a slave's life.

"Do you have anything sharp?" she asked a slave near her who was on his way to be assigned his day's work. "I'd like to slit my wrists now." There was only a hint of black humor in her voice.

The rest of her was deadly serious.

The great room gradually emptied, and Taize was left alone for the rest of the day, as usual. As she was beginning her search for something pointy, a man came through the door. By the design on his tunic, she recognized him as being a part of the king's imperial guard.

"You are the disobedient slave…girl?" he asked, eyeing her hair and clothes.

"It figures no one bothers to find out my name. But yeah, that's me." She was so pleased at being called disobedient that she nearly missed his next words.

"King Galbatorix wishes to see you."


	7. Galbatorix

**AN:** I had a really difficult time writing this chapter because it was hard to think of what Galbatorix would say. He is just so evil...Anyway, I was thinking about keeping everyone in suspense until this weekend, but then I thought, no, that would be mean. So here it is. On a Thursday. Woot.

**Disclaimer:** Please don't sue me Christopher Paolini! I idolize you. Uh... Not in a creepy, unhealthy kind of way. I don't have a C.P. shrine in my closet! Did I just say that out loud? Crap.

I'll let you people get on with the story now...

Chapter Seven  
Galbatorix

"Come on," said the guard impatiently.

"Look at my leg, you blubberheaded idiot. Does it look like I can walk?" The guard looked taken aback at being insulted by a slave, she noted with satisfaction.

He scowled, but walked over and picked her up, her leg jutting out awkwardly because of the splint. He grumbled something about not being a pack-mule, at which Taize muttered that a pack-mule had more freedom than she did.

"Besides, it's not like I'm that heavy. _I've_ had to carry things heavier than me." Indeed. "Look on the bright side. I could have been a lot heavier. Of course, if I ever got anything decent to eat…" She had a great deal of fun babbling on pointlessly and annoying the living daylights out of the guard.

"Why do I always get the crazy ones?" he groaned to himself.

"That's a good question. But why are you asking yourself if you don't know the answer?"

The guard heaved a sigh of immense relief when they finally reached their destination. He set her down on a bench outside of a small and unassuming door. "Stay here," he said firmly.

"Do I look like I'm going anywhere?" she asked the man's back as he disappeared inside.

He was back very shortly. "You can go in," he said as he exited the room. Taize looked at him expectantly.

The guard cursed under his breath as he picked her up again. "Now, now, that's no way to be speaking in front of a lady, is it?" she asked with mock innocence. In fact, she probably knew more curses than he did.

The room was small but richly decorated. She had been inside nobles' rooms when she was cleaning them, but compared to this…Elaborate tapestries covered the walls, depicting ancient Riders and their dragons. Drapes of red velvet had been opened to let sunlight stream in through many windows. At the far side of the room was a fireplace, with a fire crackling in the grate, and in the center of the room was a table, set for two.

At the far side of the table was seated a man. She did not know his name for sure, but she had no doubt that it was Galbatorix himself. The sense of power radiating from him was incredible. He was dressed all in black, and was looking at her, undoubtedly inspecting her.

As he scrutinized her, Taize was suddenly very aware of her appearance, which was odd, because usually she could care less. She was completely filthy. Her hair hadn't been brushed since she had been captured, but it wasn't too matted because she kept it short. Her clothes, as always, were in tatters, and there was hardly an inch of her skin that was its original color, especially after all the new bruises she had obtained when she fell down the stairs. On the whole, she looked even worse than she usually did (and that was saying something).

The guard set her down in the chair opposite Galbatorix, and she stared him defiantly in the eye. "Why am I here?" she demanded.

He raised an eyebrow. "Unless I am very much mistaken, a slave is not normally allowed to speak to her master in that tone of voice."

"I am not a normal slave."

"Indeed. You have been living—"

Taize snorted. Was that what he called it? Living? She hadn't been living for eleven years, she reflected bitterly.

The king continued as though there had been no interruption. "—in my palace for more than ten years, and yet you are still as defiant as ever, perhaps even more so than when you arrived."

"Is that all?" she interrupted. "I would have thought it would be Kin'naid who'd be worried about that sort of thing. Having a disobedient slave might tarnish his reputation with the _king_," she spat.

"That is not all," said the king, looking completely unsurprised at her outburst. "And I would think," he added, his voice becoming dangerously soft, "that you might be a bit better behaved in front of the master of all Alagaësia."

"Why should I?"

He raised an eyebrow, the first slight suggestion of emotion Taize had seen him give. "I could make you suffer…"

"Suffer? Suffer?! I have been through more suffering in the past few years than most people will go through in their entire lifetimes!" yelled Taize.

"Or I could just kill you…"

She rolled her eyes. "Do I look like I care?"

He sighed. "Not particularly. Though I must admit, I am at a loss as to understand why you should be so careless with your own life."

Taize rolled her eyes. The gesture was not lost on Galbatorix, who continued to stare at her coldly.

"Fine," she snapped. "You want to know why I don't care if I die?"

"I was thinking that it would provide for rather…interesting conversation, yes."

She glared at him venomously. "What is there for me to live for? A life of slavery? No matter how soon my death occurs, I will die a slave. And personally," she added hotly, "I would rather die by my own hand than by that of a despicable waste of human life such as yourself." She said these last words with such hatred etched on her face that it was impossible to believe that she might be lying.

"You see? This is what I meant earlier by 'defiant.'" There was a pause in the conversation until Galbatorix remarked dryly, "And you look like a boy."

"Uh-huh," she nodded. "You see, if people think I'm not a woman, I tend to get just a tad more…respect than I often would otherwise. I blame your stupid noblemen and their attitude towards female slaves."

"I see."

Suddenly a man burst into the room. Taize could tell from the design on his tunic that he worked for the empire. "My lord," he murmured. "I'm so sorry to interrupt…"

She deduced from the man's pale face that he was really thinking, _Please don't kill me for interrupting you._ Lost in her thoughts, she missed the exact reason why the king was being interrupted.

"Nonnad," he said, and the guard re-entered the room. "I need to speak with this man privately. Take the girl back to her quarters." He turned to Taize, about to speak.

"Oh, sure, let's not even bother to ask the slave's name. After all, who cares? She's just a human being, though everyone else seems to think she's just a commodity to be bought and sold!"

"Do you always talk about yourself in the third person?" Galbatorix asked Taize.

She thought for a moment. "Not always," she admitted. "Though it is rather fun. Especially when I want to annoy someone."

As she disappeared out the door, Galbatorix felt an emotion that he hadn't known for many years. He was nervous.

_No_, he thought to himself. _Not nervous. Merely…uneasy. Besides, why should I feel this way at all? She's nothing special, merely another slave. _Still, the sooner the girl was fully under his control, the better.

AN: Yeah. Sorry if this chapter kinda sucks...Anyway, he obviously is more interested in her future than he is letting on. Galby...snigger...Sorry, every time I call him Galby I can just see him in some alternate dimension, just twitching every time someone calls him that. Galby... Sorry. From the story summary, you guys all know it's because she ends up being a rider...


	8. Candy

**AN: **Thank God for pre-written chapters! This one was actually done Thursday, but I'm sick this weekend so it's a good thing that I don't have to write. You may be wondering why this chapter has such a weird name. (At least, I think it's weird in this story). I had a hard time naming it until I got to the very end. Then it was just kind of obvious.

**Disclaimer:** Once again, still don't own anything. Still don't own an iPod, either. That makes me sad.

Chapter Eight  
Candy

Taize woke up, cursed Galbatorix and Kin'naid using every oath she knew, and winced as her tunic rubbed against her raw back. The king had had her whipped last night, and Kin'naid, as always, had carried out her punishment. Apparently Galbatorix had taken her insults less kindly than he had let on.

"Ineb!" she called.

By the time she had been returned to her bunk, most of the slaves were asleep. She hadn't wanted to bother him during the night, but the pain in her back was making it completely impossible for her to get any rest whatsoever.

A slave nearby stirred. "Quiet," she mumbled. "Sleep."

"Wake up!" Taize fairly shouted.

"_Shut_ up," the woman retaliated.

"Oh, come on. Will somebody get Ineb for me?" She paused a moment, then added reluctantly, "Please?"

"Will you let me go back to sleep if I do?" the woman asked.

"No, I'm going to keep you up all night because you did something nice for me."

"No need to be sarcastic." She wearily raised herself out of bed and disappeared into the darkness. She was back a short time later, Ineb following behind her. He looked as though he had already been awake when summoned.

"What do you need?" he asked, not sounding tired at all.

"Didn't I wake you?" She ignored the question.

"It's not easy to find sleep here. What do you need?" he repeated.

"Bandaging."

"What did you do this time?"

"Who says I _did_ anything? I'm offended, Ineb."

"You aren't clumsy. You aren't hopelessly unfortunate, unless you count Kin'naid hating you. To put it briefly, you don't just receive random injuries unless you've done something to annoy someone." His voice had a very knowing tone.

"Fine," she replied. "I insulted the king."

"But you do that all the time."

"Yeah...In front of _you_."

"Taize, I know you didn't belittle Galbatorix in front of Kin'naid. You're not _that_ stupid."

"Well…"

"Please tell me you aren't that stupid." He sounded as though he thought she was crazy.

"Possibly more so. It wasn't in front of Kin'naid…It was to the king's face."

"You _are_ crazy!" Despite what he had just said, he sounded awed.

She grinned at him. "Probably."

He shook his head. "What was it you said you needed from me?" he asked, clearly still in shock at her stupidity.

"Bandaging," she repeated.

"Oh! Yes…What do you want me to use this time?"

"My blanket is about the only thing I have left that's big enough." She thought for another minute, though. She would be freezing at night if she gave up her blanket. Then she recalled that Rhet was gone. He wouldn't be needing his anymore, unless he'd thought to take it with him. "Do you know where my old bunk is?" she asked Ineb.

He nodded.

"Get Rhet's blanket, if it's still there. You can use that."

Ineb did so, and swiftly began tearing it into strips. When he was done, he surprised her by saying, "Taize. Be careful. If you're not, you're going to get yourself killed."

"Maybe I will."

There was a lull in the conversation until Taize inquired, "Ineb. Would you do something for me?"

"That depends on what it is you want me to do." He sounded amused. For some reason, that irked her.

"I hate being dependent on everyone else because of this stupid leg."

Ineb interrupted her. "Ah, yes. You've always been rather…independent, for a slave, at least." He still sounded amused.

She scowled. Was he purposely trying to annoy her tonight? "As I was saying," she said rather pointedly, "I was wondering if you – or someone else – could get me a walking stick or something like that, so I wouldn't need someone to lean on whenever I want to go two steps."

Ineb sat beside her on the bed. "Do you remember Mil?"

She searched her memory. "I'm not very good with names…Wasn't he the old guy who was missing a foot? Why are you asking, anyway? And why are we speaking about him in the past tense?"

"Yes, because he used a crutch, and because he died in his sleep last night," he replied, answering all three of Taize's questions at once.

Then she asked a question that most people would have thought was completely off-topic. "How long was he here?"

"What?"

"Mil. How long was he a slave?"

She could see something click as Ineb understood the significance of her question. "I'm not sure exactly. You know how hard it is to measure time here."

"I've always been able to find out when my birthday was." She glared at him. "Approximately how long, then."

Taize could see him doing the math in his head. "Less than five years," he finally responded.

"Lucky —" she swore bitterly.

"Lucky?" Ineb seemed interested in her reasoning. "He died a slave, Taize."

"Everyone here is going to die a slave, Ineb!" she exclaimed, causing several slaves sleeping nearby to stir. "Mil got to enjoy his freedom for longer than most of us, even if he took it for granted."

"Don't we all? Take it for granted, that is. Even you?"

"I didn't have time to! The first three and a half years of my life are a complete blur. I was captured when I was five. Eighteen months. I can only remember being free for a year and a half or my life. Even from that, I only have scattered memories. Mostly about the night my village was destroyed." She frowned, then smiled faintly. "And my mother teaching me to shoot an arrow."

"You were using a bow at age five?"

"Well…yeah."

"That would explain a lot." He changed the subject. "You know, there were those of us who were born into slavery," he said gently.

"Sometimes I wonder if they aren't the lucky ones." Seeing Ineb's questioning glance, she went on, "They've never known anything else. You can long for candy if you've never had it before, but once you've tasted it, you'll want more. My mother taught me that rhyme. She used to say that you can't really want something unless you've already had it, and then it's gone. She was right. Candy is like freedom. I want it back."

**AN:** You know, I really kind of hate this chapter. I don't feel like it had enough...something. Next chapter will actually have some good action in it and will be looong.


	9. Escape

**AN: **Cool, I just realized how to put lines in! Although I do kind of like my three little asterisks. Anyway... AAACK! Sorry, sorry SORRY! I know I have not updated in forever! But also...WOOT! Longest chapter yet! Yay! Well, not that much longer than my last one, but for me it's still pretty long coughfivepagescough I will try to have Chapter Ten up either later today, and that one should also be kind of long. So please don't kill me...

**Disclaimer:** Don't own. Don't sue. Thanks.

Chapter Nine  
Escape

By the time Taize awoke the next morning, the rest of the slaves were gone, off on their daily assignments. That in and of itself was exceptionally odd. By the time she was seven years old, she'd never overslept; her internal clock was that finely tuned. That, and she knew she's have to deal with Kin'naid if she woke up late. But even when she'd had the flu a few years ago, Taize had still woken up on time.

Then she realized that her body was on fire. She was drenched in sweat. If only she could find a little water…

Her feet brushed up against something. Her tin cup and bowl had been set at the foot of her bed, and from the sloshing sound the cup was making, she would soon have something to drink. Someone, probably Ineb, must have gotten her breakfast for her.

She tried to sit up, but even that small movement made her sway with dizziness. Clutching the side of the bed for support, she waited until the dizzy spell had passed and reached for her cup. She wasn't worried that there was nothing in her bowl; she didn't have an appetite anyway, but she chugged down her water as though she was dying of thirst.

With nothing else to do, she laid back down and went to sleep.

* * *

She didn't know how much later it was when she awoke, but the slaves had not yet returned from their day's work. Soon, however, they began trickling into the room. Those who did the cleaning returned first, and one of them peeled off from the group and came to her bed.

"I thought I should check on you," said Ineb. "I was afraid you might have an…" He felt her burning forehead and frowned. "…infection. How long have you had this fever?" he asked.

"I can't remember." She was surprised at how faint her voice sounded. "At least since this morning…"

"Not since last night?" He looked worried.

"I don't think so."

"You have quite a fever if it's only been going on for a few hours." He seemed to come to some conclusion in his head. "You can't tell anyone what I'm about to do," he told her.

She was puzzled. What could possibly need to be kept a secret? He must have helped dozens more slaves than her. But she nodded nonetheless.

He put his hands over her and said, "Waíse heill."

She felt a not unpleasant tingling sensation on her back, and her fever went away almost instantly. She ripped off the bandages beneath her tunic and felt her back. There were still plenty of old scars there, but the fresh wounds from yesterday were gone.

"How—? What—? Was that _magic_?" she breathed.

"Shhh," Ineb warned.

"So _that's_ what you meant when you said you used to be a healer!"

"Would you please keep it down?" he hissed.

"Sorry," she whispered, with badly contained excitement. "But—then why didn't you heal my leg?"

"Everyone was watching. If I had used magic then, I have no doubt that it somehow would have gotten back to Galbatorix that I'm a mage. And," he said, cutting off what he knew would be her next question, "I didn't heal it later because it would seem odd if your broken leg was just magically fixed overnight."

"But then why haven't you used magic to escape?" she asked.

"Do you ever stop asking questions?" He didn't sound too annoyed.

"Not really," she admitted, then persisted. "Why?"

He shrugged. "People here need me," was all he would say.

She thought for a moment. "Galbatorix might want to see me again," she mused.

"You've been to see the king?" he asked incredulously.

"Where else do you think I'd get the chance to insult him to his own face?"

"Point. Still…if he wanted to see you…"

"What?" she asked. "I was going to say that if you healed my leg tonight and I escaped—"

"That's true. _I_ was going to say that if the king himself actually requested to see you, it can't be a good thing. The sooner you're out of here, the better."

"Does that mean you'll heal my leg?" she asked eagerly.

"Yes. But," he cautioned, "I'll have to do it late tonight, after everyone is asleep. That way no one will know you can walk again. Tonight _is_ when you plan on getting out of here, isn't it?"

* * *

She awaited nightfall anxiously. If she could have, she would have been pacing relentlessly. Finally, one by one, the slaves began to drift off to sleep. She forced herself to remain still until Ineb came over.

"As far as I can tell, everyone's asleep," he said softly. "I can heal your leg now."

He helped her to remove the splint, then repeated the healing words he had said earlier. Taize got up tentatively. Her legs were weak from not walking for the past two weeks, but she could manage well enough.

Taize quickly grabbed her blanket, and they approached the stairs up to the rest of the castle together. "Damn it!" Taize swore in a whisper. Kin'naid was guarding the door at the top of the steps.

"Shhh," said Ineb. Directed toward Kin'naid, he whispered, "Slytha."

"What did you do?" Taize asked him as Kin'naid slumped.

"He's asleep. Go."

She turned to Ineb. "Thank you," she murmured.

"Go," he insisted.

And so she went, slowly climbing the stairs until Ineb was out of sight. She emerged from the subterranean stairway only to realize that she had no idea where she was going.

The voice came out of nowhere, speaking directly into her head.

_For one who has been so obsessed with leaving this place for the past year, it would have done you well to plan ahead a little better._

Whoever it was, their voice was deep, rumbling, and filled with an ancient sadness. And male. The speaker was definitely a man.

"Wha—?" she asked aloud, forgetting in her surprise to keep her voice down.

_Shhh__. Think your answers and I will hear you._

_All right_she thought in reply. _Who are you?_

_You want to get out of here, don't you?_ He didn't wait for an answer. _We have no time for pleasantries. Now, go to the right…_

Taize followed a complex series of directions until she finally stood in front of a plain wooden door.

_Go inside,_ the voice said.

In_sid__e?__ I thought I was leaving!_ She silently berated herself for listening to a random stranger, and someone she couldn't even see at that.

_You_ are _leaving,_ he replied impatiently. _But you need to go in there first._

At first she was wary of a trap, but subconsciously, she felt that she could trust this mysterious voice. Before she could talk herself out of it, she twisted the doorknob and went inside.

It was just a small storeroom, piled with crates and barrels.

_Look in the far left corner,_ the voice instructed her.

She did so, peering into various containers, but she found nothing that could be of any value until she reached the final crate. There was a coarsely woven sack inside. Taize opened the bag and saw a large green stone, crisscrossed with veins of white. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

_Is this it?_ she asked, describing the stone.

_Yes. But it's not a stone…It's a dragon egg._

What? she practically shouted mentally.

_Yes,_ he repeated. _And it's the last one, so for Alaga__ësia's sake, be careful with it! You must take it to Surda, to the __Varden_

_But—what?__ Why? Why me?_ It was too much to take in.

_Because you are the first person in a long while who has had the opportunity to steal it._ Before she could ask, he added, _The__ king has a powerful spell on that door. Only his slaves can get in, and he will be warned when the egg is taken from the room._

_But why would anyone __be__ allowed to come in here?_

_If there was a room that no one ever entered except for the king himself, it would be quite obvious that it was where the egg was hidden. However, if there are people going in and out regularly…_

_Oh, I get it__. No one would suspect._

_Exactly.__Now, no more interruptions.__ When you take the egg from this room, the king will be warned.__ He will be able to find you pretty much anywhere in Alagaësia because now that he has seen you, he can __scry__ you. That's a sort of magical way of seeing what __people are doing,_ he remarked so that Taize wouldn't ask. _But he'll only be able to see where you are if he's seen that place before. _

_Well that's good, _she mused. _I can think of several places that I doubt Galbatorix has seen._

_Do not underestimate him__, it could get you killed.__A dangerous path lies ahead for you. Oh, and_ do _try not to get caught. That would be bad. __Very bad._

_Well, __thanks__ Sir Pointouttheobviousalot._

The voice sighed._ When you get out of this room, turn right and_run. _Galbatorix will know that you've left the castle, but hopefully he won't know exactly where you are for at least a few hours. By that time, you should be out of the city._ _I must go now._

_Wait…_

_Yes?_

_What is your name?_

_That is none of your concern, little one._

The presence in her head was gone as quickly as it had appeared. She put her blanket over the egg in the sack, picked it up and made for the door.

Nervously, she approached the threshold, took a step into the hallway and…Nothing happened. Nothing visible, anyway. She had a feeling that Galbatorix would be waking the castle guards soon. So, taking the mysterious voice's advice, she turned right and ran like hell.

Soon a small door, not unlike the one she'd just run from, was in front of her. She opened it and peered out cautiously. No one seemed to be watching her, so she darted outside.

The moon was full, which meant she could see well, but it also meant that searchers would be able to see her without a problem. She had come into a large courtyard through a little-used side entrance. At the far end was an archway that led to the rest of Urû'baen. She ran over to it and was irked to find that thick iron bars blocked her way, but a moment later her frustration subsided. The bars had been spaced to keep out fully-grown men, not a skinny teenage girl. She slipped through them easily, finally on her way out of the city of Urû'baen.

Then a voice came called from behind her, "Stop! Who goes there?"

She took off running. Taize heard an arrow whiz by, but she kept running until she was away from the palace, away from Galbatorix, away from all she had known for eleven years.

**AN:** I wanted to put something here but now I can't remember what it was...Have you ever done that? Like walked into a room and completely forgotten why you went in there in the first place? I do that a lot. Hey! Now I remember! Yay! Um, anyway, I am getting another screen name (I have LONG outgrown angeleyeseleven, and not just due to the fact that I haven't been eleven for quite awhile). I'll still be updating and stuff, but eventually I'm probably going to finish this story and do a continuation under a new penname. I'll let everyone know my new penname and story title when (if) that happens. Unless anybody knows of a way to change your e-mail address on this site so you can keep the same penname but get stuff sent to a different e-mail address? Let me know if you do. Thanks!


	10. Weapon

**AN:** Yeah…Sorry. I know I said I'd have this up at the same time as my last chapter, but halfway through I got writer's block and ended up scrapping almost the entire chapter and re-doing it. Plus the first two paragraphs or so were just randomly thought up by me when I was doing the re-write. Enjoy the evilest chapter (for me to write) so far!

Chapter Ten  
Weapon

As she threaded her way through the rich district of Urû'baen, Taize marveled at how luxurious the houses were. She had lived most of her life in Galbatorix's palace, certainly, but she was one of the few who worked behind the scenes on a daily basis. Most of the constant stream of visiting nobles had never seen, or would care to see, what went on in order to keep the castle running. They would never see all of the narrow back passageways that the servants and slaves used to go quickly from one part of the castle to another. They would never see the enormous kitchens, which Taize had long grown to hate but that Rhet had loved. But mostly they would never even notice the people who worked tirelessly, either to support their families or because they were forced to do so. Literally, of course, they were seen, but they were just white noise, easy enough to filter out once you had gotten used to it.

Sometimes she had felt like that was what she would always be, a fixture in the background. But now she had a vague feeling, as though she was destined for greater things. The egg was proof of that. She had managed to steal something that countless others had attempted and failed to retrieve. Of course, nothing would ever raise her name from obscurity if she was caught, as that voice had so bluntly reminded her. Which reminded her that she was going to need a weapon. It simply wouldn't do to be utterly defenseless when Galbatorix's soldiers were sure to be on her tail. A bow would do nicely. Not to mention the fact that it was the only weapon she'd ever used.

Since she had no money (obviously), she'd have to steal one. She made her way through the streets, checking each door she passed to see if it was unlocked. Just a few streets away from the palace, she found a house (actually, it was more like a mansion) that looked promising. The door was locked, but there was an open window on the ground floor, a pathetic attempt at alleviating the humidity of the muggy night. Taize slipped inside with ease.

She peered into each room cautiously until she saw what appeared to be the room of a teenage boy. As she stepped inside quietly, her suspicions were confirmed; his bed was right in front of her. It struck her how much he looked like Rhet. The two were so similar, but their lives had been so different. This boy had led an easy life, a privileged life, one without fear. Rhet had lived well for awhile, then been thrust into a strange new world in which he'd had to struggle to survive.

_Why am I thinking about him in the past tense?_ she scolded herself. _He's still alive._ But a nagging voice in the back of her head whispered, _For now._

She brought herself back to the moment, looking around the boy's room. A sturdy leather tube lay on a shelf above his bed. She looked inside, nodded, satisfied, when she saw the bow, and took it as well as the full quiver lying next to it. Then she put both items in the sack she was still carrying.

"Sorry," she whispered as she slipped out the door. She felt a little bad about taking something that the boy obviously prized, but her survival could depend upon it. His didn't.

She felt even more jumpy than she had back in the castle. After a few minutes, she located the window she had used to enter. Taize hit the streets running, keeping up her pace until she was far enough away to feel safe. By the time that happened, she had reached the poorer section of the city. It actually wasn't that bad (_of course,_ she thought. _Galbatorix wouldn't want anything too shabby in_ his _city_), but all of the houses were constructed in the same way, making navigation confusing to anyone who didn't know the city. More than once, she found herself wondering where she was, but eventually she was near the city limits. Surely by now Galbatorix had been notified of her escape with the egg, but she hadn't heard anything yet. It unnerved her not to know how close her pursuers were.

Suddenly, as she was running across the gap in between two houses, she heard someone call, "Over there! I think I saw something!"

She froze in place, rooted to the spot. She could hear heavy footsteps coming toward her, but couldn't tell what direction they were coming from, so she decided to run to the right and hope she didn't deliver herself to them like a present on Christmas morning. Fortunately, she seemed to have steered clear of the men, and was very near the outer limits of the city.

The vast emptiness beyond the last of the houses somehow scared her even more than the claustrophobic, twisting maze of streets she had just come from. It seemed to threaten to swallow her up, make her disappear into the openness.

She put her uneasiness aside and ran off. Taize looked back and could just barely make out a few shadowy figures, still calling to one another whenever they thought they saw movement. She left them behind, along with the city that held too many bad memories.

Taize knew there was a river close by, not more than one-and-a-half days' walk if she went the right way. She could last that long easily, but she didn't know which way was the right way. And eventually she would need to find her way to Surda. The sooner the Varden had the egg, the sooner she could stop worrying about the future of Alagaësia.

She was tired, but the combined effects of adrenaline and fear of the king if she was caught kept her awake and walking. Without the sun to guide her, she had no idea if she was going in the right direction. If the sun had been up, though, it probably still wouldn't have been much help. She had only retained vague snatches of memory from her trip to Urû'baen, and while she could recall having to cross a river, she couldn't remember the direction she'd been traveling.

The sun rose gradually, finally telling her which way was east. Fortunately she wasn't going that way, she would have been heading into the Hadarac all night. No, she was heading away from the sun, to the west, towards civilization – she hoped.

After walking for about half the day, she saw a faint blue smudge on the horizon. _A river_. She grinned, though it hurt her cracked lips. Rivers meant water. And water was good. _Yeah, it would probably be a good thing if you_ didn't _die before you reach the Varden_, she told herself sarcastically, in much the same tone she had usually used with Kin'naid before her escape.

Speaking of Kin'naid… _I wonder what_ his _punishment will be,_ she thought sadistically. _Galbatorix will have a fit when he finds out Kin'naid was on guard duty that night._ It gave her just a little too much satisfaction to imagine all the horrible things that could be happening to her former tormentor. Although the thoughts became much less pleasant when she realized that those things would probably happen to her if she was recaptured.

She banished the negative thoughts from her mind and focused on reaching the blue band that was by far the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. It turned out to be farther away than she thought, so it was nearly noon by the time she reached the water, ready to pass out from exhaustion. But before she did, she dragged herself to the river's edge and drank deeply, soothing her irritated throat. Then she fell asleep, utterly exhausted.

* * *

She awoke in darkness to the sound of voices.

"Ulask said she went this way. Besides, it would make sense for her to go to the river, right?"

"Well, yeah, but we'll never find her in the dark, unless she sends up a flaming beacon that says, 'Here I am, please capture me and take me back to Galbatorix,' which is highly unlikely, to say the least."

Gah! Stupid Galbatorix. She needed to get somewhere that he had never seen before so that he couldn't find her. But the place she was thinking of was many leagues away…Ah, well. She'd manage it somehow. She would have to. So, as cautiously and soundlessly as possible, she picked herself up off the ground, took one last drink, and set off towards her new destination.

**AN:** Sorry, that was a fairly pointless chapter, but I had to get her out of the city. She'll be headed to the Varden soon enough, don't worry…Woot! I finally wrote a better summary! The old one kind of sucked, if I do say so myself. On another note, I keep seeing stories about slave girls in Galby's palace! Not that I'm egomaniacal enough to think they all stemmed from this one…No, seriously. I'm **not** that egomaniacal. They just seem to keep popping up! Randomly! Like ME!!! Sorry, I'm babbling. Again...Just hit the little blue button and review...


	11. Home

**AN:** The effects of Fegrad's spell (you'll read about it in this chapter) are very similar to the Fidelius Charm/Secret-Keeper thing in Harry Potter. And if you've read Eragon but you haven't read Harry Potter, you have some serious mental health issues.

Chapter Eleven  
Home

It had been a little over a week since Taize had turned around from the Ramr River and decided to head into the Hadarac. Partly it was because everything looked the same; even if Galbatorix were to scry her, all he would see was the never-ending sand. But also, she remembered where her old village was.

It was sure to bring back bad memories, but she was sure that Galbatorix had never seen it before, and there would be more than enough water for her.

_Once I_ get _there_, she reminded herself. The waterskin she had taken with her was nearly empty, but she was sure she would get there soon. Her destination was just barely on the edge of the desert, but water was still hard to come by.

Finally, she saw the huge, jagged, sand-colored rock that marked the entrance to her oasis. She walked through a short tunnel carved into the stone, and her old home shimmered into view. Even if a stranger managed to find the tunnel, though, they still wouldn't be able to see the remnants of the village.

Not long before Taize was born, the village had had a) trouble with raiders and b) a resident sorcerer named Fegrad. It only made sense to use a spell to hide the place from prying eyes. Fegrad had used a complex, powerful spell that hid the village from any outsiders, unless they were told of its existence, in which case they would be able to see it. Shortly after he cast the spell, Fegrad had mysteriously disappeared.

Taize entered the place of her childhood hesitantly, unsure of what to expect. She didn't know exactly what would remain, if anything. She couldn't get the image of her mother's body out of her mind.

What struck her first was that a few of the buildings were almost entirely intact. There had been so much fire…She pushed the unwelcome memories to the back of her mind. Jay's house was one of those still standing. Their mothers had been good friends, so the two children had naturally developed a friendship. Mostly when Taize came over they would occupy their time by pranking Jay's older brother, Caib.

_I had such a crush on Caib…_ she reminisced vaguely. She smiled at the recollection, remembering the wiry boy she'd thought was the most handsome sixteen-year-old in all of Alagaësia (hey, Jay hadn't been bad-looking for a five-year-old, either). Sixteen. That was the same age she was now. Come to think of it, he had also been about her current height…She made up her mind as she strode through the doorway.

It was as though she had stepped back in time. She'd been over earlier on the day her life had changed so drastically eleven years ago. The house hadn't changed a bit, except for the thick layer of dust that was all over everything, and the fact that the wood was more weathered. It was eerie, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

Though she knew she shouldn't, she peeked into Jay's room on her way to the back of the house. Their long-forgotten toys still lay on the floor where they'd left them, despite Jay's mother's nagging. She walked into the room, making as little noise as possible. Somehow, silence seemed appropriate. Feeling a lump rise in her throat, she returned the toys to their proper places. She and Jay had both been so young then, so innocent. Now her childhood friend was probably in Dras-Leona…if he wasn't dead yet.

She quickly left the sad little room, continuing on to Caib's quarters. It was messy, the typical room of a teenage boy. Clothes were strewn everywhere, but she didn't care much. It saved her from having to look for them. After a while, Taize found a pair of pants and a tunic that fit her reasonably well and that weren't too dirty. Odd that she was thinking about cleanliness when she was absolutely filthy. Once she had changed, she tore her old rags into strips. God knew she would end up needing bandages somehow or another. She also found Caib's hunting knife, which would probably come in handy. She went back outside, but she couldn't seem to escape the sad emptiness that permeated the very air around her.

She hugged the egg hanging by her side closer to her. It seemed to radiate warmth and comfort, even through the fabric of the sack. It soothed her somewhat, and prepared her for what she knew she had to do.

She picked her way slowly, carefully through the devastated streets, making her way home. Most of the houses in her part of the village had been reduced to piles of ash and charred wood. At some homes, those of her other old friends, she would stop and sift through the rubble. At each house, she found nothing except for windblown gray ash. By the time she was through, her new clothes were just as dirty as her old ones had been, but she would not go back to Jay's house.

There was nothing on the street outside her old house to suggest that her mother had lay there dying. Amazingly, the house itself was still partially intact, though the front part was mostly ruined. A small corner of her own room was all that remained untouched, but in Lia's room, one entire wall and part of the roof had stood the test of time (and fire).

Taize walked to the whole wall, realizing that there were two shelves still attached. Though she doubted that anything would have been able to survive the heat of the fire, she took a look anyway. To her immense surprise, she found a faded scrap of parchment.

Part of the right side was burned away, and in other spots the ink had faded so much in the sun that the writing was illegible, but she could make out some scraps of writing:

"Dear D y," she read aloud, slowly. It had been years since Lia had taught her how to read, and it wasn't any help that letters were missing from half the words. The fact that it was partially burned didn't help either. This is what she read:

Dear D y,  
My wor fears have come true. F d has  
disapp ed. He is not dead, I'm certain. But if he's  
not d d…The sp l was comple d, but I'm sure  
too much for . If that is the c se…he's cer inly a  
s de. Fortun , few people h re even kno hat a  
ha e is, let alo e that it was p ible for egrad to b c me  
e. Of course, the sc l gen ted by hi isappea nce  
ay be worse than if th illage knew he w sha e!

(**AN:** Sorry, the blanks between some of the letters should be bigger, but the stupid thing wouldn't let me. So good luck trying to get anything from this!)

Taize sighed. Even if her reading skills had been up to par, she'd still probably have trouble gleaning information from what appeared to be a diary entry. She tucked the parchment into the bag at her side, which was by that time getting quite full. The egg had taken up most of the bag in the first place, then she had covered that with her blanket, somewhere she'd tucked in an extra waterskin she'd found, and the bandages she'd torn from her old clothes were piled on top of everything else.

* * *

She spent about a week recuperating in her oasis, but soon realized regretfully that she needed to get to Surda as soon as possible. So she filled up both her waterskins and prepared to leave.

When she got to the stone tunnel, she peered out to check if the coast was clear. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Galbatorix's soldiers were waiting outside to meet her.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Alagaësia or Inheritance Trilogy. I just use them in this awesome little story I'm writing. I DO, however, own Taize, Rhet, Ineb, and every other original character in this fanfic, all of whom I can't mention by name. And that means I can do whatever I want to them. MWAHAHAHAHA!!! Speaking of which, I have been debating whether or not to have something immensely and horribly bad happen to Rhet. Or possibly Ineb. Let me know which one you would rather have something bad (not necessarily death) happen to.

**AN:** By the way, sorry. I know I'm late. But hopefully I'll have the next chapter up on time, since it's already half-done. Thanks for not killing me! (Though that might just have something to do with the fact that you want to know the rest of the story.)


	12. Away

**AN:** Oh-ness! Worship me! I think this is the fastest I have ever actually written a chapter **and** updated! Although I do feel kind of bad that I couldn't torture you with that cliffhanger for too much longer…

Chapter Twelve  
Away

Taize backed up slowly, being careful not to let the soldiers see her. Her mind was working frantically, trying to remember what her mother had told her. She called forth memories that she had suppressed a long while ago; they combined with slavery had just made life too painful.

_"Taize, I know I told you that your father left a long time ago, right?" Little Taize nodded, looking up at her mother's face with wide, solemn eyes. "He left right before you were born…" Lia paused. "I just wanted you to know that he…He's not a bad person. He just did something very stupid and…he had to…go away. But having him as your father doesn't make you stupid, or bad, or anything else like that, no matter what other people may think."_

_"What was daddy's name?" Little Taize asked innocent__ly._

_"…Fegrad."_

Why had she not wanted to remember that? Her father was a sorcerer, big deal. It was kind of cool, actually. For a moment, she wished he had stayed around and taught her magic. Taize with magic…That would have proved _very_ interesting when her temper flared up. Then she remembered why she was searching her memories in the first place, and delved back into her mind.

_"It was built right after he left. Just in case…Not that we think he would…__Just in case," she finished, with a sense of finality on the last three words._

But what was "it" that had been built? Taize had a nagging feeling that it was important, but she couldn't force herself to remember. At least she didn't have to hurry. Since no soldiers had actually come in yet, probably no one had been told exactly how to enter the village. That, or someone extraordinarily decent hadn't passed on the information.

_"__The tunnel leads southwest, not very far, but from there a person could manage to get away…It's under our house, we doubt he would attack if he thought his daughter could be inside__, but then again…" she had said very quietly. Her voice had been stronger the next time she'd spoken. "You know the cupboard drawer in the kitchen that we never use? In there. That's where the tunnel starts."_

Oh, joy. She had to go back to her house. _I'd rather face Galbatorix's army,_ she thought grimly, but nevertheless she began trudging home. Again.

The kitchen was all the way at the back of the house, so it wasn't quite as destroyed as the rest. But when she opened the cabinet drawer, she was faced with a chasm of absolute blackness. Normally, it wouldn't have been a problem, because there had always been a lantern and flint within easy reach. Unfortunately, the lantern had melted into an unrecognizable blob of glass and metal, and the flint was probably long gone.

Though she wasn't afraid of the dark, she had no idea how long the tunnel was, and the claustrophobia of the space combined with its pitch-blackness would be enough to make anyone refuse to go in.

For the last time, Taize turned her back on the house that was no longer her home, formulating a plan as she walked. She would sneak out at night. It would be better if there weren't too many people around to see her. No doubt there would be sentries at the watching the entrance, but she had a plan for that, too. Besides, they were looking for a girl.

She checked her reflection in the spring before she left. It didn't matter that she was dirty, it would help hide her face. Her hair wasn't as short as it had been before she'd left Urû'baen, but it wasn't long enough for anyone to be suspicious of her gender. She walked to the entrance calmly. It would be almost impossible for her to get caught.

Almost.

* * *

As it started to get dark, Taize checked every so often to see how many of the men were asleep. It took a very long time for them to settle down for the night, because a lot of them stayed up late drinking and gambling. _Damned alcoholics. I wish Ineb was here, he could put them to sleep in a second._ Finally, very late at night, she decided to make her move. 

She walked casually out of the stone archway, and was immediately stopped by two soldiers.

"Hey! Who are you? Why are you here?" one asked.

She pretended to look confused, as asked, "Qué?" in the Hadarac dialect that she knew almost as well as English. (**AN:** I didn't feel like making up a new language, so I made it Spanish. Forgive me if my grammar isn't that great, I'm only starting Spanish 2.)

"Er…Who are you?" he said very slowly, pointing at her.

"Mi nombre?" (My name?)

"Uhh…Sure."

"Soy Jay." (I'm Jay.)

"What are you doing here…Jay?"

She looked up at him, feigning puzzlement. He pointed to the bag at her side. "What's in there?"

"Sabes, usted es muy estupido." (You know, you are very stupid.) She had to suppress a grin, because the guard obviously had no clue what she was saying.

"Aw, come on Hol," said the other guard. "He's just a native wandering through. And in case you don't recall, we're looking for a _girl._ Jeez, I knew you were stupid, but I never thought you couldn't tell men from women…"

"Well then, what's he doing here so late at night?" He directed the question at Taize, and pointed to the moon.

"Y feo. Usted es muy feo, tambien." (And ugly. You are very ugly, too.)

"In case you haven't noticed," said not-Hol, "it's _hot_ during the daytime."

Hol looked very sullen as he directed her to go on ahead.

She slipped away quietly, thinking about Hol's supposed inability to tell men from women. If only they knew…

"Why'd he even have to send us here, anyway?" she heard a voice say from behind her. "She probably went south, to Furnost. From there she'd have an easy path along lake Tüdosten, straight to Surda. Why can't we be there, instead of in this godforsaken desert?"

"I don't know, but I _do_ know that you should know better than to question orders from the king himself. Come to think of it, if anyone found out…"

"Are you blackmailing me?"

She walked away smiling, leaving the two men to their bickering. They had just told her everything she needed to know. She turned, and began heading south. First, she would go to Furnost, just long enough to get some food. Then, to Surda.

**AN:** Just click the little blue button (It is SO not purple). All you have to do is click…and then type a little bit. Click the button…REVIEW OR DIE!!!

**Kelsey (author's friend): **Way to be subtle, Diana.

**Diana (author):** Shut up.

**Kelsey:** Why?

**Diana:** Ugh…

Yeah, I know. That was incredibly random, even for me.


	13. Furnost

**AN: **Three chapters in one weekend!!! (I count Friday as part of the weekend, and since we get this Monday off, it's also part of the weekend. Either way, three chapters in four days ain't bad.) Unfortunately, don't expect this every week. This is a fluke. A FLUKE, I tell you! I will try to get more chapters done than usual, though. Before you know it, it will be musical season. I love being in the musical, but Foz (director/chorus teacher) makes us have SUCH long rehearsals! And if I have to say goodbye to my social life, you guys have to say goodbye to Taize for two months or so! Oh, yeah, and this chapter was written at about 4 a.m. last night (well, technically, I guess it was this morning). AND I had really bad writer's block, but still the inexplicable urge to write, and this is what came out of my head. So I hope it isn't too sucky. Wow. My author's notes are getting WAAAAAAY too long. Whatever, just read.

**Disclaimer:** Insert something witty that says I don't own Eragon here.

Chapter Twelve  
Furnost

She had been walking for what felt like years, though in reality it had only been a week. Her feet ached with every step. She was long accustomed to going barefoot, but Taize was used to traversing the smooth stone floors of Galbatorix's palace, not the sand of the Hadarac, which slipped beneath her feet at every step, nor the packed, dusty dirt of the plains between the desert and Furnost. But her feet would only be in real trouble if they encountered gravel. All of those little stones were merciless, even to the toughened soles of Taize's feet.

She had seen a faint smudge of blue on the horizon at about noon the day before, but she figured that she still had at least a day of traveling before she reached Lake Tüdosten. She had scowled in dismay; the sooner she could get food, the better.

It had been almost two weeks since she'd last eaten anything. The longest she'd ever gone without food was a week. Kin'naid had overheard her calling him a blubberheaded idiot. Even though he'd threatened everyone with a whipping if they shared with her, no one could resist an adorable, albeit ragged and dirty, seven-year old. So even that had been more like a week on reduced rations.

Today, the blue was getting larger, and by noon, she had reached the enormous lake. Her waterskins depleted, she drank thirstily, then paused to take stock of her surroundings. A narrow dirt road led alongside the lake. It appeared little-used, but there were quite a few people traveling along it. Unfortunately, those people were Galbatorix's soldiers.

_How many of them can there possibly_ _be?_ she wondered. _It seemed like there were so many in the desert…Unless Galbatorix knew where I was headed and he sent them here._ She frowned.

Despite the risk, she had to go into town. Her disguise had worked well enough in the desert, anyway. Although she did hope that it would hold up in broad daylight.

She reached the tiny village of Furnost just as the sun was setting. Taize had no idea what to do or where to go. She needed food, but she had no money, and she didn't want to steal again unless it was absolutely necessary. Or unless she met a bastard like Kin'naid who really deserved it.

Eventually she decided to go to the single inn in town and see if she couldn't work out some kind of a deal for food and board. As it turned out, the innkeeper, named Graefe, was quite a friendly man, and he agreed to give Taize (now going by the name of Caib) a room and meals for the duration of her stay if Caib would cook for him. She reluctantly agreed. Taize hated to admit it, but after spending so much time in the palace kitchens, she knew a thing or two about preparing a meal. Besides, she was only staying for one night, then she would head off for Surda.

If she didn't go insane before the night was over. The inn had been all but taken over by Galbatorix's troops, fortunately none of whom seemed to doubt that she was a boy. But more of a threat to her sanity was the innkeeper's wife, Kalsu. She was by far the nosiest, most obnoxious person Taize had ever met. She simply would not stop pestering Taize about the contents of the bag she kept close by her side.

Taize hadn't dared left it up in her room in case a drunken soldier, or worse, Kalsu herself, should wander in (or, in Kalsu's case, decide to go snooping), but she had a feeling that carrying the sack with her all the time made Kalsu suspicious. When Graefe's wife had first questioned her as to what was inside, Taize had replied simply, "Just some of my things."

But eventually her nosiness got on Taize's nerves. "Look," she finally exploded, "It's MY bag, and whatever is in there is MY business, NOT YOURS!" Unfortunately, after that it was her subconscious that was perpetually annoying, saying things like: _Way to keep a low profile. I'll bet everyone within a four mile radius heard that. You were shrieking like a banshee!_

Later that night, Graefe approached her apologetically. "I _am_ sorry for my wife's pestering," he told her. "But I must admit that her nosiness isn't entirely groundless. You have heard of the escaped slave girl, I take it?"

"I don't understand why the king would go to such trouble just for a runaway slave," she stated indifferently, knowing full well exactly why Galbatorix's army was after her.

"Well, apparently she stole – don't tell anyone, I'm not supposed to know this – a dragon egg," he whispered.

"Really?" Her eyebrows shot up in mock surprise. She wondered where he had gleaned the information from. Then again, men said a lot of interesting things when they were drunk… "Still, what does that have to do with me? As you can see, I'm definitely not a girl."

"Fair enough. But you can't blame her, really, everyone wants the reward."

"Reward?"

"Haven't you heard about it? It's quite substantial."

"I've been traveling in the desert for the past few weeks. I'm afraid I've been terribly out of touch with what's been happening here in Alagaësia." The innkeeper seemed satisfied with that answer. "If you don't mind," she continued, "I'm going to go to bed now."

"Of course, of course," Graefe replied. "But – If you don't mind, I do have a question for you. She stopped cold. Did he suspect something? "I'm curious, where are you going after Furnost?"

She visibly relaxed. What would be the harm in telling him, after all? "To Surda. Could you tell me the best way to get there?"

He seemed surprised, but answered anyway. "The quickest way would be to go by boat down the length of the lake, but you've told me you have no money…If that really is the case, you could walk, but it would take you at least a week and a half to reach Petrøvya."

"How long would it take by boat?"

"Four days, give or take."

Taize frowned. There was really no choice. Another week and a half of walking was out of the question. She would be exhausted after the fifth day, which would leave more than enough time for the egg to be recaptured and for her to be either captured or killed. She _had_ to get across that lake.

But now was no time to figure out a plan of action. She was tired, and would need her rest if she was to stand a chance the next day. She trudged up to her room on the second floor, setting the sack down by her bed. She nestled up under the covers, her clothes still on, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

She was awoken by the creak of the floorboards. She opened her eyes just a crack to see what was going on. There must have been a lantern somewhere, because there was light emanating from a corner. There was also a figure beside her bed, rifling through her bag. _The egg._ She shot up out of bed, badly startling Kalsu, who jumped as though she had just seen a ghost.

But then, a triumphant smile appeared on her face. "I should have known. You're a girl. And in this…This is what you stole from the king, is it?" Taize's bag was open to reveal the emerald green egg.

Taize's face went white. "You BITCH!" she screeched. Not the smartest idea, she realized, once she remembered that there were soldiers in every room except her own. She tore the bag and her belongings out of Kalsu's arms and made for the stairs. Soldiers were peeking out of their rooms to see what all the ruckus was about, but fortunately for her, none of them had quite come to their senses yet.

"You idiots!" she could hear Kalsu screaming behind her. "She's the one you've been looking for!"

She heard steps trampling heavily behind her, and she ran. An arrow whizzed past. Miraculously, it missed her, but it went right through her bag and into a tree. _Damn it!_ Her bag was pinned, and she couldn't get the arrow out. Suddenly, a thought came to her, and she snapped off the back half of the arrow, sliding her bag off of the shaft. Then she continued running. For once, she didn't have a death wish.

**AN:** By the way, musical season doesn't really start until about December, so you still have another month and a half or so of regular updating. And for the record, I know that there are at least twelve of you who actually somewhat care about this story, so REVIEW!!! PLEASE!!! I don't care if it's two words, just give me the satisfaction of a REVIEW (even if you are telling me that the chapter sucked).

* * *

Oh, and sorry, I know I've been talking to you people way too much already, but I have been thinking about taking some time off from "Taize" and writing a short prequel. Let me know if you want me to. 


	14. Sailing

**AN: **Just a quick note: Nezjy (you'll meet her later) is pronounced NEZH-ee. So don't screw it up. Plus, forgive me; I know nothing about sailing or boats, just be happy that I have actually updated, cause I could have waited three weeks and said, "but I updated three times last week."

Chapter Fourteen  
Sailing

She ran towards the docks, hoping against hope that there would be a boat willing to take her to Petrøvya. It was still dark out, she guessed it was about three in the morning, hours too early for even the fishermen to be out. However, there was one boat in the distance that had what appeared to be a lit lantern.

Taize had no idea who would be on board, but it really didn't matter at this point. For all she was concerned, Galbatorix himself could be on that boat. Her fate would be the same if it wasn't an ally.

By the time she had almost reached the boat, the gap between Taize and the soldiers behind her had lessened considerably. She sprinted the last thirty meters with her last reserves of energy. The boat was small, maybe four meters long. It had a single sail, and two oars as well.

Suddenly, a woman materialized from the shadows. "Well, what are you waiting for? We haven't got all day." Taize climbed in awkwardly, too tired to care who the mystery woman was. "Come on, come on." She quickly began adjusting the sail. "Untie that rope. No, that one there, the one tying the boat to the dock! Good. Now grab an oar, the faster we're moving, the more of a head start we'll have. Hopefully it will take them an hour or so to organize themselves."

For once, Taize did as she was told, hauling the rope onto the deck.

"Come on, grab an oar," said the impatient woman. "Good. They should only be able to go two or three to a boat." They rowed in silence for awhile, watching the soldiers' lights on the shore become more and more distant.

Taize took the opportunity to study her mysterious savior. Her face was lined, but not wrinkled, and there were streaks of gray in her long red hair. She looked to be in her mid-fifties.

After several minutes of silence, the woman spoke. "Sorry if that was a little chaotic. It's just…Well, we can't have that," she pointed to Taize's bag, "falling into the wrong hands, now, can we?"

Taize was suddenly angry. "How is it that everyone knows what's going on except for me? I don't even know who you are or where your alliances lay, yet you already seem to know exactly who I am!"

The woman thought for a moment, as though deciding what she was allowed to say. "Oh, screw it," she finally decided aloud. "I'll tell you everything I know. Which isn't all that much. I'm from the Varden. They thought you'd show up in Furnost, though you did take your sweet time, didn't you? I'm sorry, it's just…" her voice trailed off.

"But how did you know I'd stolen the egg?"

"We have a contact in the castle. He knew you escaped, but he didn't find out that the egg was missing until the next morning. Then he just put two and two together and figured that you were the thief."

"Who was it? The contact, I mean."

"I'm sorry. I can't tell you."

"Oh. Alright."

They were silent again for another hour or so, until the woman broke the silence. "You were wrong about one thing, though." Taize looked at her. "I don't know who you are. All I know is that you were a slave in Galbatorix's palace, and one night you escaped with the egg."

"No one ever bothers to so much as learn my name." It was a sore point for her. It wasn't easy living every day, knowing that you could be bought or sold just as easily as a sack of flour. And she had never really had her own identity. She had always been just another slave. Just another bit of background noise, doomed to live a life without freedom. "My name is Taize."

"Nezjy…You must be tired. You should probably get some sleep." Taize hadn't realized it when the adrenaline was pumping, but she _was_ tired. "Do you want a blanket? We'll have to sleep on the deck, I hope you don't mind."

"It doesn't really matter if I do mind, does it? It's not like there's any other choice. But no, thank you, I'll be fine without a blanket. If I get cold, I have my own. And believe me, I've slept on worse than the deck of a ship." At least out here, she could see the stars. "Shouldn't you get some sleep, too?" she asked, the thought suddenly occurring to her.

"No, no. I'm well rested. Besides, we don't want to veer off course. I'll be fine."

"All right," Taize agreed reluctantly. She pulled her bag closer to her and laid down on the wooden planks of the deck that were so similar to her old bed.

* * *

When she awoke, the sun was shining, and for a moment she didn't know where she was. The wood beneath her felt like her old bed, but there was far too much light for her to be in the slave quarters…Then everything that had happened over the past couple weeks came rushing back. _Ugh._ _How long have I been sleeping?_ she wondered.

She must have spoken her thoughts aloud, because Nezjy answered, "About a two days."

"What?!" She felt disoriented. How could she possibly have slept that much? She didn't dwell on it, however, because her stomach growled.

Nezjy must have noticed as well, because she said, "There's bread and dried fish in the crates over there if you're hungry."

She _was_ hungry, and she ate the food ravenously. When she was satisfied, she turned to Nezjy. "How much longer do you think it will be until we get there?"

"Well…The wind has been strong for the past few days, so if we're lucky we could actually make it by tonight." (**AN:** I think this is about noon on the third day; if I'm wrong, I don't care because I'm horrible at writing traveling scenes. That's why Taize slept for 48 hours straight.)

"How far are they behind us?"

Nezjy looked uneasy. "Not very, but once we get to Petrøvya we should be safe, because they'll be outnumbered twenty to one by men who hate the Empire."

"But can we make it without them catching up to us? Even if we do manage to get there tonight?"

"Honestly?" Taize nodded for her to continue. Nezjy did so only reluctantly. "I hope so."

"So in other words, we're pretty much screwed if we don't get there in record time, aren't we?" asked Taize unemotionally.

"Uh…"

"I had a feeling you'd say that." They both seemed to know that they needed to pick up the pace, and they picked up the oars again.

**Disclaimer:** Since my attempt to kidnap CP has failed…I don't own Eragon. (sob)

**AN: **Sorry, I know this chapter was sucky. Next chapter they will get to Surda and things will get interesting, I promise.

**Mangos:** Let me make this clear: I am not going to quit writing Taize when the musical comes around. It will be on **hiatus**. If you don't know what that means, look it up. I may manage some updates, but if I do they will be few and far between.

And believe me, it is more than possible for someone to live two weeks without food as long as you don't get dehydrated. You can die in two or three days without water, but it takes weeks to die of starvation. Besides, Taize is already used to being hungry all the time, so it's not quite as bad for her as it would be for a normal person.

And get a freakin fanfiction account so I don't have to put my review reply for you at the end of all my chapters. It's annoying.


	15. Hatchling

**AN: **This is the last chapter of "Taize." I know, I know! Don't kill me! First, this is the longest chapter I have ever written. Second, her story is not over yet! I PROMISE I will write a sequel. I just feel like the end of this chapter starts a new part of Taize's life. The sequel will probably be called "C'koro," but if you want to be sure you know when it's out, put me on your author alert.

**Disclaimer:** Damn. I'm running out of creative ways to say that I don't own Inheritance and/or Christopher Paolini. Oh, wait. I just did.

Chapter Fifteen  
Hatchling

It was very dark out by the time they were near Petrøvya, but Nezjy promised that the Varden knew they were coming. Taize was curious as to how Nezjy could be communicating with them, but Nezjy refused to tell her.

"You're sure they won't follow us once we get to Petrøvya?" Taize asked, a little nervously.

"I hope not," replied Nezjy cheerfully.

"So in other words, unless we get really, really lucky, we're screwed."

"Pretty much."

"Well, _you_ don't seem too sad about it."

"We've done all we can so far to get that egg to safety. If we're caught now, at least we know that there's nothing we could have done differently that would have led to any other outcome."

Taize mulled that over as she rowed. It would be kind of nice to have that attitude, to be able to not analyze the situation to death, looking for a way that things could have gone better. Of course, it would also have been nice if she had never taken the stupid egg in the first place. In Taize's opinion, it was more trouble than it was worth. But she also had a feeling that the voice wouldn't have helped her get away if she hadn't agreed to steal the egg in the first place.

Lost in her thoughts, she was shaken back to reality when Nezjy hissed in her ear, "We're almost there, and the soldiers are right behind us. When we reach the dock, speed is of the essence. Have your things ready – and grab some food, too. The gods know we'll probably end up needing it."

They spent a very tense fifteen minutes nearing the lights of Petrøvya. Finally, as the boat hit the dock with a soft thud, they climbed onto dry land.

"Let's go," Nezjy whispered. "I know a good place for us to hide." She led the way through the mazelike streets to a small and dingy tavern called the Silver Dragon. It was dark on the main floor, apparently closed for the night already, but there was a light above.

Nezjy knocked on the door firmly three times. After a minute or so, two taps came from the other side. Nezjy knocked once more to complete the code, and the door opened. A lean but strong-looking blond man stood in the doorframe. He ushered them inside quickly.

"You two should get down to the cellar. The soldiers could barge in here any minute now. You know the signal if they come inside."

"Come on, let's go," said Nezjy to Taize. She led the way to the cellar, which was dark but for the lantern. Taize had the feeling that the place hadn't seen light since the day it was built.

Suddenly, there were two almost inaudible taps on the door to the stairs. Nezjy looked pale. "Be very quiet," she whispered, so softly that Taize barely heard. She led the way to the middle of the cellar. She traced her finger around some invisible seam, then pulled up a hidden trapdoor.

Taize balked at going into the black hole before her. The lantern didn't penetrate the inky darkness that faced her, and it reminded her all too much of the tunnel in her old village. "Come _on_," Nezjy whispered insistently. "It's not just your life on the line if we get caught." Taize was still unwilling, but she reluctantly climbed down into the blackness anyway.

Nezjy shuttered the lantern all the way, and the blackness was complete. They waited there for what seemed like forever, until the man from upstairs opened the hidden trapdoor. "You can come up now, they're gone," he said.

Nezjy and Taize both breathed audible sighs of relief, albeit for different reasons. Nezjy was glad that the soldiers were gone, but Taize was just happy to be out of the crushing blackness. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"Come on," said Nezjy. "Let's go and get some sleep."

They climbed up to the second floor, where Nezjy opened the door to a small room. Taize noticed that there was only one bed. "You take it," she said to Nezjy, gesturing. "Besides, I'm not used to being comfortable when I'm sleeping." She gave Nezjy a smile that was more grimace than grin, but Nezjy didn't argue; she was too tired. She fell asleep almost at once, but Taize had trouble finding rest.

In addition to the fact that she had only recently woken up from two days' worth of sleep, the room reminded her rather unpleasantly of the inn in Furnost. She needed to get out of there.

She grabbed the bag the egg rested in, not trusting anyone but herself with it. Taize knew that it was a foolish thought, but she had been through a lot with that egg. It was almost like a child to her. Not that she ever wanted a child.

She slipped out of the room very quietly, something she was well-practiced at. She stole downstairs, staying silent because she didn't know where the man who had greeted them slept. Every time a stair squeaked, she winced at the sound, hoping it wouldn't wake up Nezjy. In reality, the squeaking wasn't that loud, but to Taize the sound was earsplitting.

Eventually she made it outside to the relative safety of the street. She breathed in deeply, enjoying the clean scent of the night air. For the first time since her escape, she felt truly free. The egg at her side had forced her to keep running. If she didn't have it with her, she probably could have stayed in Alagaësia, maybe even in Urû'baen. She doubted the king would have cared too much if one lousy slave had managed to get away. Then again… _Damned egg,_ she thought, but the thought wasn't completely devoid of affection. Despite herself, she had grown remarkably fond of the thing. It always seemed to comfort her when she needed it most.

The street she was on was silent, empty. It was also more than a little chilly, and she still didn't have shoes or a cloak. She was cold, but she didn't want to go back inside, so she wandered the streets, never going too far away from the Silver Dragon and always being sure that she knew the way back.

Taize was thinking that she would head back when she saw a building up ahead whose lights were blazing brightly. Curious, she approached it, trying to see what was going on inside. A sign hung over the doorway proclaimed that the place was called the Sheep's Tongue.

_What the hell kind of crazy name is that?_ she wondered. _The Sheep's_ Tongue _I mean, okay, the Silver Dragon is actually kind of a cool name, but the_ Sheep's Tongue

Either way, she decided to get moving again. The place was obviously a tavern, and if it was open this late, everyone inside was bound to be drunk. She did not want an encounter with a drunken man. Eszpecially since her hair was long enough by now that she looked like a girl again (albeit a girl wearing pants). Ugh. She didn't even want to think about the last time she'd been in the proximity of this many drunkards.

_

* * *

She was about twelve years old, on kitchen duty yet again. Then again, almost all of the slaves had been busy in the kitchens for the past several days. There was to be a huge feast that day, and nearly every noble in Alagaësia must have been invited._

"_Taize!" someone yelled. "Get over here!" It was one of the older slaves, she'd never bothered to learn his name (an act of hypocrisy that she'd later want to kick herself for). "Here, take this to the banquet hall," he said loudly over the din of voices, passing her an enormous tray of food._

"_Oh, come on! That thing must be almost as heavy as me!"_

"_So? Get moving. It's your ass on the line if you don't bring it in. You_ know _Kin'naid will find out somehow."_

"_Fine, fine. I'm going!" She heaved the tray onto her shoulder and carried it out of the kitchen and through the maze of narrow servants' passageways to the banquet hall. It was a cavernous room, lit by several chandeliers and many torches. Taize didn't care about the huge room, though. She wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible. She felt out of place among the richly dressed nobles, and besides, she had heard the horror stories about them, even when they were sober, from the other female slaves. It was best just to avoid the men altogether when it was possible._

_She made her way to one of the long tables and dropped off her load, then turned to leave. She figured that she would take the main hallways, since it was a much faster route back to the kitchen. All the people who might spot her and tell Kin'naid were probably at the feast, anyway. But as she started off down the hallway, she saw someone coming towards her, weaving slightly. Drunk_.

_Taize turned around abruptly. He was probably just going back to the feast. Apparently, he wasn't, though, she noted as she looked behind her. He had just passed the entrance to the banquet hall._ Well, he's drunk, _she thought._ Maybe he walked right past it because he doesn't remember where it is. _But as she turned into the servants' passageway again, and he followed her, she began to grow increasingly nervous._

_She kept turning into other hallways, trying to lose her pursuer. She had non idea where she was, but she figured she would worry about that later. Then she came to a dead end. She doubled back, but the man had already started coming down the hallway she was in._ _He had a stupid grin plastered across his face. "Hello, there," he said, still grinning…_

* * *

No! Damn it! She was not going to relive that night again. She had talked it to death with Fel four years ago. (**AN:** Tell you who Fel is later. And yeah, that's the reason she always dresses like a guy.) Even though she tried to stop it, images flashed through her mind. She shuddered involuntarily, then turned and walked away from the tavern. Damned nobles. She'd be having nightmares tonight. 

But when she got back to the Silver Dragon, the door was locked. _Shit. What the hell am I supposed to do now?_ If Nezjy found out that she had left – with the egg, no less – she'd kill her. Quite possibly literally.

Taize set off again, not caring where she went this time, trying to figure out what to do. Unconsciously, she wandered far away from the inn, closer to the edge of the lake. It was only when she heard the conversations of the soldiers waiting there that she realized how close they were. She stiffened and began to back away slowly.

Unfortunately, she backed up right into one of the sentries. They gave each other a deer-in-the-headlights look until a spark of recognition lit up in the man's eye. Taize turned and ran, but the soldier was faster than she was, and he grabbed her. She struggled furiously, but his grip was too strong.

_Shit,_ she thought. _Shit shit_ shit! _How could I possibly be that stupid? I should have just knocked on the door and hoped Nezjy wouldn't kill me. Damn it!_

The soldier half-dragged her to a boat waiting on the edge of the lake. She realized that the rest of them hadn't been as close as she'd thought, she'd just heard their voices traveling over the water.

She turned her thoughts to escape. At the moment, it seemed impossible. The soldier's grip was too tight, and even if she could manage to get away from him, she couldn't swim. There had never been an opportunity. Before she was a slave, she'd lived in the desert, and after…well, Galbatorix wasn't exactly going to give them all a day off to go swimming.

They met up with a larger vessel after about five minutes, and she was put on board it. A woman came up to her, looking oddly out of place among all the men. "Slytha," she said.

Taize didn't even have time to register her pride at the fact that Galbatorix had thought she was enough of an escape risk to send a mage after her.

* * *

When she finally awoke – for she sensed that she'd been sleeping for quite awhile – she had absolutely no idea where she was. It appeared to be a cell of some sort. The walls were tick, solid stone; there wasn't even a window to break up the monotony. The only light came from the flickering torch in the hallway outside the door. 

She was suddenly angry with herself again for letting this happen. There was no way she'd be able to escape from wherever she was now. In a fit of frustration, she punched the wall. Hard. She hissed in pain as she felt something crack. _Okay,_ she thought. _OW._

As she was thinking about what to do with her broken arm, a voice came from behind her. "That was stupid." She turned to see a twenty-something man standing outside her door. He wore his dark brown hair long, and he was rather good-looking. Not that Taize cared. His feature that grabbed her attention was the look in his eyes – as though he had seen too much suffering. It was a look she'd seen in many of the other slaves' eyes back at the palace. Except for Rhet. He could be sad sometimes, but most of the time he had been annoyingly cheerful.

"You'll be needing both arms where we're going."

"_We?_" she asked. Her empathy with him was overshadowed by the fact that he was dressed like a noble.

He opened the cell door, came inside, and shut it behind him. Taize recoiled only very slightly when he stepped inside, but apparently he had noticed, because he spoke again. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Afraid of me?" She thought she detected a hint of a smirk on his face.

"You obviously work for Galbatorix if you're here," she spat, hiding her unease well. "I don't like being that close to so much evil." She glared at him for a few moments, but then she abruptly realized something. "Why do I still have the egg?" she asked, overcome by curiosity.

He raised an eyebrow. "It's not as if you're going anywhere with it."

Taize sighed and sagged against the wall, the reality of what was happening finally sinking in, not caring if she was showing weakness to the mysterious stranger in her cell. Galbatorix was going to get his hands on the last egg again. The last dragon rider in Alagaësia would be under the king's control – if it hatched. She fervently hoped that it would never happen. She doubted that Eragon would be a match for Galbatorix alone, let alone Galbatorix and two Riders. (**AN:** She knows about Eragon and the fact that there's another new rider because of the gossip around the castle when she was a slave.) Maybe if he could manage to take out the new rider first? Ah well, it didn't matter anyway. She would probably be dead long before the king could be defeated.

For the first time, she wondered if it might have been better for her to stay a slave – and immediately wanted to slap herself for the thought. The month or so that she hadn't been in that miserable castle had been the best time of her life, even if she had been on the run.

She instinctively reached for the egg for comfort. As always, it was warm. For the first time since obtaining it, she pulled it out of the sack. The surface was smooth and almost soft against her fingertips. Taize closed her eyes and held the it close to her chest, letting the warmth seep through her.

Suddenly, she was startled by a loud squeak. _What the hell?_ She nearly dropped the egg. It began to shake in her arms, and she set it on the ground, scared that she had harmed the dragon inside somehow. But then it cracked open.

The green dragon hatchling stared at her from among the remnants of the egg. _Oh, crap,_ she thought. _I'm the last rider._

"Well," said the man, "This makes things altogether more interesting."

**AN:** I LOVE the end of this story. Probably because I love being evil! Oh yeah. Fel: her real name was Felicity, but she hated that because it means "great happiness or bliss." So she made everyone call her Fel. She was another slave who was kind of like a big sister to Taize when she was little, but then she died. Anywho, wait with baited breath for my next story! MWAHAHAHAHA! (The first chapter should be up within a few weeks.)


End file.
